Family pictures

Back row: Alan, Quinn Ford (Becky's husband), Becky, Toria Stamper (Cyndi's daughter) holding Ellie (Cyndi's daughter), Amy (Phil's wife) holding Matthew (Phil's youngest), Phil Hahn, Shandon Stamper, Jr. (Cyndi's oldest); Shandon, Sr. (Cyndi's husband), Cyndi Stamper holding Jack (her youngest).
Middle row: Dan Ford, Jonah Stamper, Adam Stamper, David Hahn
Front Row: Judi, Annie Ford, Rachel Hahn, Grace Ford, Rose Hahn
NOTE: Last names tell to which parent the children belong.

Why is it that children take such awful pictures? They are supposed to smile and they stick out their tongue, or they move, or they wiggle (thus blurring even a digital picture). This is the best of several pictures taken of our family (Alan's and mine).

Only my own children (and my oldest grandchild) have ever visited Runnemede. And Shandon, Jr., my dear grandson, was only two months old when he visited my father, so I know he doesn't remember it.

Anyway, this is a picture of the family. And I've listed who everyone is.

Memorial Day Present

This is Cyndi (my youngest) and her youngest daughter, Ellie May. This is my son, Phil's, oldest, Rosie.

This is my oldest grandchild -- he's now 15. He rarely smiles, so this picture is a real treat.

This is Jonah, Cyndi's middle child. He's 7.

This is our newest grandchild (Cyndi's). He's 2 months old. Isn't he the cutest thing?

Our present Memorial Day -- in fact Memorial Days for the past 33 years -- did not occur in Runnemede, sad to say. Although new memories are being developed, the past ones hopefully will not be forgotten.

So, I've posted some pictures from our family Memorial Day picnic at a local playfield -- children's park -- which was, as far as I could tell, was enjoyed by everyone. And, all of my children and grandchildren were able to attend. While I took some pictures, I didn't get pictures of everyone.

I did have more "professional" pictures taken, but I haven't gotten them back from the photographer yet. When I do, perhaps I'll post a few of those, at least the one taken of the entire bunch.

And yes, this picnic was just as noisy as those from times past.

Memorial Days past

Taking a note from my niece, Lori, who publishes her "Flashback Friday" on her BLOG most Fridays, I'm posting some pictures from our past Memorial Day family get togethers. They were always fun.

What you can't see, is that there was a ping-pong table in the basement of Aunt Anne's house, and believe me it was well used by the cousins -- AFTER we ate! Uncle Joe also had a horse-shoe game set up in the back yard, and further down in the hollow out back, they had set up crocket, so we did have things to do besides talk. But we Italians are known for our chatting -- and getting caught up each other's lives was another big part of that day in May. Back then Memorial Day was on the 30th of May (my son, Phil's birthday, by the way); not the last Monday in the month.

So, enjoy the pictures. And no, I'm not starting my own "Flashback Friday."

Aviary

Well, I discovered that I live attached to an aviary. This morning as I was sitting on my sun porch I could heard the chirping of the birds, and then I looked out and there was a plethora of bird species flitting from tree to tree. I know this pictures doesn't show you which species, and don't be confused by the pine cones in the tree. There are three birds at the top, and one near the bottom.

These birds are small birds, so I am assuming they are babies just getting their wings, and I also base that assumption on the fact that they would only flit from tree to tree, a very little space to go because the trees in the yard are very close together.

Why am I bringing this up and what has this to do with Runnemede?

My mother loved birds, second to her flowers. And while I thought this was just another one of her "things" I didn't really connect with it as my brother did. In fact, my brother was so connected to the love of birds, that several years ago while on a bird hunt in a wooded area near his home in Indiana, he saw a bird he hadn't seen in, well, forever. And to get a better view, he decided to climb a tree. At that time he was over 50 years old. Fifty-year-old men do NOT climb trees. But up the tree he when, and then down the tree he fell. He got hurt quite badly, and still suffers from that fall. However his love of birds, which he got from my mother hasn't dwindled.

Mom used to take us to the woods and as she would point out plants, she would also point out birds to us, naming them. She had several bird identification books in her small bookcase in the dining room and would peruse them frequently. BecauseI was able to identify several of the birds I saw today, I'm glad my mom took me and my brothers and sister to woods and taught us the names of the birds.

Finally, for my brother's information, this morning I saw the following birds: cardinal, red-winged blackbird, wren, morning dove, woodpecker, blue bird, blue jay, oriole, swift, and tanager. I did not see any robins. But we don't see many robins around here.

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Mother's birthday

Today would have been my mother's 100th birthday. Quite a landmark if she had lived this long.

Unfortuntely for we who survived her, but fortunately for her she went to be with her Lord about 20 years ago.

I recall her birthday celebrations. Dad was in charge. Does that tell you anything? Celebrations consisted of mom doing all the work. Getting her own dinner (and breakfast and lunch). And then after dinner she would open her gifts. Dad always gave her something really nice -- a very pretty dress, a new hat, a piece of "good" jewelry, etc. She always told him he spent way too much. We children usually gave her a handmade card, or a hankie (again with the hankies?), or a home-made pot holder. Sometimes two of us would put together and get her a new bottle of perfume. Some "rose" scent. She, of course, over-reacted as a good mother would, as she opened her children's gifts.

Now she's gone and I can't talk to her any more. Someday I shall.

Happy birthday, mom.

Don't you just love...

...the smell of the outdoors after a good, heavy, soaking rain in late spring? I do. Always have. I have to admit that the smells in Runnemede were a lot different than the aromas here in N. Ky. For one thing, my mom had flowers all over the place and the smell of all those plants mixed together was, well, heavenly. The roses would be just blooming now, the lilacs finishing, the lilies of the valley in full bloom, and her irises would be almost open. Mom's herbs would be putting forth from their remains from last year -- her basil, chives, oregano, etc.

Here in N. KY the only plants in bloom right now are azaleas and after the hard rains of the past day and a half, there are very few blossoms left. Add to that the fact that today the lawn people mulched -- mulch isn't a particularly nice smell.

Mom's mulch wasn't too bad. She kept her leafy greens and coffee grains and other vegetarian left overs in a pile behind the garage and used that to "aid" her plantings from time to time. The pile was started with leaves from the Autumn raking of the yard. So, I guess her mulch really smelled mostly like a walk in the forest. Mulch, at least the brand used here, smells like -- well, you know. It stinks, but it works.

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Rain

I am so very glad that I closed the windows on the sun porch before I went to bed last night. I am not an early riser, and while the weather prognosticators were saying that it wouldn't rain until noon, they are rarely correct, so I decided I'd better shut the place up. Well, this morning, I was an early riser -- 6:45 a.m. And guess what, it was raining! Well, the weather forecasters really missed the boat on that one.

I recall three things about Runnemede and rain.

First, in the Spring, if the weather outside was warm enough, the windows were open. There was no air conditioning, EVER. And, even when it was rainy outside the windows were still open. That house have great eaves -- they really overhang a lot, and it didn't rain in. The only time we shut the windows (on the west side of the house) was during a thunderstorm because, eaves or no eaves, wind blew the rain right in on that side of the house.

Regarding the air conditioning -- my father wouldn't have it. He had six or seven fans going in various parts of the house, but never a/c. He tried it once, but it was too cold for him -- the rest of us suffered each summer because it is really hot and humid in South Jersey, especially as close to the ocean as we were. And, dad thought the old was better and just wouldn't permit A/C in the house.

The second thing I recall is moving outdoors and basically living on the front porch when it rained. I don't recall that we had a rainy season, like here in Northern Kentucky. It seems that it rains all Spring, and we have a few hours of sunshine each week. Whereas, in NJ we had a few hours of rain, and the rest was sunshine.

I recall setting up a TV tray (that's what they called those little portable tables) on the porch, and using it for working my homework, or setting a lunch upon. In those days, the only TV tables you could get were metal, and if you put too much weight on them, they collapsed. Now they have really nice wooden ones. I wonder if they still make the metal kind.

The third thing I remember is weather forecasts. I recall more accuracy without all the radar, gidgets, and gadgets the weather people have these days. Maybe it is just that in NJ it's easier to predict the weather than it is in Northern Kentucky. It just seems to me that the weather forecasts are rarely accurate out here and so I depend on my sight rather than the local weather channel for accuracy. Even radar is often wrong. The radar scopes say it's raining or snowing, and it isn't reaching the ground. The stories I could tell about dependence on radar and it being entirely wrong.

In NJ we knew it was going to rain based on the smell. The wind always blew from west to east. The Delaware River was about 4 miles as the crow flies west of us, and the wind blew an odor our way so that we knew it would be raining soon.

So, today is a rainy day, and the prediction for this neck of the woods, or should I say part of our country, is rain for the rest of the week. Bummer.

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